Theme 2.2: Poverty, Homelessness and Charity Work
Poverty, homelessness and charity work is Theme 2.2 of GCSE French reading, covered through texts that draw on statistics and personal accounts of getting involved. Examiners are testing whether a student can separate a stated fact or statistic (on estime que, plus de deux millions de personnes) from a personal opinion or experience, recognise the concession connectives bien que and malgré (which are followed by an unexpected or contrasting fact, bien que taking the subjunctive), and distinguish causes of poverty (à cause de) from proposed solutions (pour lutter contre).
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Identify whether the text is presenting a fact or statistic (il existe, on estime que, selon une étude) or a personal opinion or experience about poverty or charity work - 'according to the text' questions need the factual clause, not the writer's feelings.
- Underline concession connectives such as bien que and malgré, which introduce a fact that goes against what you might expect - bien que is followed by the subjunctive (bien qu'il soit difficile de...).
- Note statistics and numbers precisely (plus de deux millions de personnes, un enfant sur cinq) since higher-tier questions frequently test an exact figure rather than a vague 'a lot'.
- Distinguish the causes of a problem (à cause de, en raison de) from proposed solutions (pour lutter contre, afin de résoudre) - questions often ask separately for a cause and a solution from the same paragraph.
- Watch impersonal structures (il est essentiel de, il faudrait, on devrait) used to make recommendations about tackling poverty or supporting charities, and treat these as suggestions, not facts about what is currently happening.
- Note verbs of volunteering and giving (faire du bénévolat, faire un don, distribuer des repas) and match each precisely to who is doing the action and for whom.
Worked example
Lis la phrase et réponds. 'Bien que la France soit un pays riche, plus de deux millions de personnes y vivent encore sous le seuil de pauvreté.' Qu'est-ce que cette phrase nous apprend sur la pauvreté en France ?
- Spot the concession connective bien que, followed by the subjunctive soit, signalling a surprising contrast.
- Identify the expected idea: la France est un pays riche (France is a rich country).
- Identify the contrasting fact that follows: plus de deux millions de personnes y vivent encore sous le seuil de pauvreté (over two million people still live below the poverty line there).
- The sentence tells us that despite being a rich country, France still has over two million people living in poverty.
Practice questions
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Q1Give the English meaning of 'les sans-abri'.Show answer
Answer: Homeless people.
Q2Translate: 'Malgré les efforts du gouvernement, la pauvreté continue d'augmenter.'Show answer
Answer: Despite the government's efforts, poverty continues to increase.
Q3What construction follows 'bien que', and why does it matter for reading comprehension?Show answer
Answer: The subjunctive; recognising it helps you correctly identify that a contrast or concession is coming, not a simple statement of fact.
Q4Translate: 'Un enfant sur cinq vit dans une famille en difficulté financière.'Show answer
Answer: One in five children lives in a family in financial difficulty.
Q5True or false: 'faire un don' means to volunteer your time.Show answer
Answer: False - faire un don means to make a donation of money or goods, not to give time.
Q6Give the English meaning of 'lutter contre la pauvreté'.Show answer
Answer: To fight/tackle poverty.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Lis le texte et réponds aux questions. Selon une étude récente, plus de trois cent mille personnes sont sans domicile fixe en France, et ce chiffre continue d'augmenter dans les grandes villes. Bien que le gouvernement ait mis en place plusieurs programmes d'aide, de nombreuses associations comme les Restos du Coeur estiment que ce n'est pas suffisant. Chaque hiver, des milliers de bénévoles distribuent des repas chauds et des vêtements aux personnes dans le besoin. Malgré ces efforts, beaucoup de sans-abri continuent de dormir dehors, surtout pendant les périodes de grand froid, ce qui reste, selon moi, un problème auquel notre société devrait absolument s'attaquer en priorité. (a) According to the study mentioned, how many people are homeless in France? (b) True, false or not mentioned: this number is decreasing in big cities. (c) What do charities like les Restos du Coeur believe about the government's help? (d) What do thousands of volunteers do every winter? (e) According to the writer, how should society treat this problem?
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Lis le texte et réponds aux questions. L'année dernière, j'ai commencé à faire du bénévolat dans un centre pour sans-abri près de chez moi, une fois par semaine. Au début, j'avais un peu peur de ne pas savoir quoi dire aux gens que je rencontrais là-bas, mais cette expérience a complètement changé ma façon de voir la pauvreté. Bien que certaines personnes que j'ai rencontrées aient eu une vie stable avant de tout perdre, à cause d'une perte d'emploi ou d'une maladie, elles restent toujours pleines d'espoir. Je pense que faire du bénévolat devrait être encouragé dans toutes les écoles, car cela apprend vraiment aux jeunes à être plus solidaires. (a) When did the writer start volunteering, and how often? (b) True, false or not mentioned: the writer felt completely confident from the start. (c) Give one cause of homelessness mentioned in the text for some of the people the writer met. (d) According to the writer, what quality do these people still have, despite their situation? (e) What does the writer think should happen in all schools, and why?
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 5 available
See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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